4,000 live reptiles rescued in biggest global raid of its kind

More than 4,000 live reptiles, including six Kenyan sand boa snakes found in air cargo in the United States, have been seized as part of Operation Blizzard, a global law enforcement crackdown on the illegal reptile trade.

Photograph by Chris Mattison, Minden Pictures

Global police forces have carried off the largest reptile trade bust to
date, arresting 12 suspects and seizing more than 4,000 live reptiles at
airports, breeding facilities, and pet stores across Europe, North America,
and elsewhere throughout April and May.

The initiative, dubbed Operation Blizzard—a play on words referring to
the deluge of activity around lizards—was coordinated by Interpol and Europol
in response to the illegal trade in snakes, turtles, and other protected
reptiles. Trafficking of these animals is threatening some species with
extinction and also fueling disease outbreaks among
humans. (See how the exotic pet trade can endanger reptiles.)

The exotic reptile trade has exploded in the past two decades, with millions
of the animals now imported—legally and illegally—into the European Union
and United States as household pets. Some reptiles are also coveted for
their skins, made into high-end fashion items such as shoes, belts, and
handbags. (Learn more: The Exotic pet trade, explained.)

Few protections exist for reptiles: Only about 8 percent of
the roughly 10,000 species are included in the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the international
treaty that regulates the commercial trade of wildlife across national
borders.

As part of Operation Blizzard, law enforcement agencies in 22 countries—including
New Zealand, Italy, Spain, South Africa, and the U.S.—scoured intelligence
reports, cross-referenced earlier cases, monitored social media, and conducted
targeted inspections of breeding facilities, says Sergio Tirro, a project
manager for environmental crime at Europol who helped collect intelligence
for the operation. Sharing intel across borders allowed them to identify
more than 180 suspects.

“This operation clearly demonstrates the value of international cooperation”
says Chris Shepherd, executive director of Monitor, a nonprofit organization
in British Columbia, Canada, dedicated to combating illegal wildlife trade.
“It also illustrates the scale of this massive and well-organized trade.”

Six arrests have already been made in Italy and another six in Spain,
with further arrests and prosecutions expected, according to a statement from
Interpol. In one case, according to Europol, an airline passenger had 75
live turtles in his luggage without any of the required paperwork. (Read
more about the illegal turtle trade.)

“Generally, our main target is a not a single passenger or individual—our
focus is organized crime groups behind the illegal trade,” Tirro says.
Still, many of the individuals identified were small-scale participants
rather than organized crime leaders, he notes, adding that law enforcement
hopes this work will help them build cases against top-tier people who
are coordinating the illegal trade.

The seizures included more than 20 crocodiles and alligators, six Kenyan
sand boa snakes found in air cargo in the U.S., and 150 items made from
reptile skins—including handbags, watchstraps, traditional medicines, and
taxidermied products. Although the main focus of the operation was on reptiles,
law enforcement also nabbed other animals and wildlife products: live owls,
falcons, swans, elephant ivory, bushmeat.

Nine reptiles being smuggled from Washington State into British Columbia
were seized in Canada, says Sheldon Jordan, who heads up the wildlife crime
unit of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Three of those animals had
died in transit, underscoring how deadly the illegal wildlife trade can
be, he says. Operation Blizzard was conducted at this time of year because
most reptile trading in the northern hemisphere takes place during the
spring and summer months, when these cold-blooded animals are more likely
to stay warm enough to survive, Jordan says.

Seizing 4,000 reptiles is significant, Shepherd notes, but “there are
millions of reptiles being illegally traded every year,” and the market
for these creatures keeps growing. Dismantling the well-organized networks
that orchestrate the reptile trade and working with the countries where
these animals are stolen from the wild, he says, are essential.

Wildlife Watch is an investigative reporting project between National
Geographic Society and National Geographic Partners focusing on wildlife
crime and exploitation. Read more Wildlife Watch stories here,
and learn more about National Geographic Society’s nonprofit mission at
nationalgeographic.org. Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to
ngwildlife@natgeo.com.

PUBLISHED June 4, 2019

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